Matthews was taken ill before he was due to give evidence following the completion of the prosecution’s case.

The trial was eventually relisted to resume on November 5 but the court heard how Matthews is now suffering from a second, unrelated, health ailment, having been told he must have his gall bladder removed.

At a case management hearing on Wednesday (October 31), prosecuting barrister Philip Lee explained how Matthews had been taken ill the night before and is still awaiting the gall bladder operation.

Despite both Mr Lee and defence barrister Jo Martin QC agreeing that a further adjournment would make sense, Judge Simon Carr ruled that the trial will restart on Monday.

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He said: “This case has an unhappy history. It was a historic case from the beginning and the trial was fixed for a date in April this year.

“Mr Matthews became unwell complaining of chest pains that turned out to be a panic attack unrelated to any heart condition.

“Mr Matthews is awaiting surgery for his gall stones and is experiencing abdominal pain. Many hundreds of thousands of people experience that and although it is very unpleasant, their lives don’t stop.

“The case will proceed on Monday and if he needs breaks, shortened days or time to gather himself then the court will accommodate that.”